Going Local in Kathmandu

So you discover yourself chucked to a hotel in the tourist area, and swept up into a taxi from the airport. There are internet stores, cafes and restaurants that are modern all for the sole purpose of catching some of the tourist dollar that's the back bone of Nepal's Economy. There's a man on every corner trying to sell you everything from hiking to Everest Base Camp to cheap plastic beads from China. Horns honk, touts shout along with other lap top clutching tourists wiz by you. You end up feeling as in the event that you've just been transported into another modern metropolis full of back packers and self-important volunteers & NGO's, when what you really desire would be to sample the exotic culture and local life span of Kathmandu, a lifetime you captured a fleeting glimpse of by the dirty taxi windows on the journey from the airport! Grab your bag, camera and sense of adventure and let your feet take you to soul and the heart of Kathmandu, one of the busiest cities of the Himalaya. Let me reveal to you some of the best things to do in Kathmandu to sample a taste of the local Kathmandu, a facet of the bustling town that is not frequently viewed by the"tourist trainer" crowds.

Asan Tole - Asan Tole is the market square in Kathmandu. The current market is the heartbeat of Newar culture (Newar are and cultural group from Kathmandu Valley). The narrow cobbled lanes resulting in the tole are dotted with temples and court yards, over looked by ancient homes leaning on each other for support. Look upwards and you can find the first hand carved woodwork that for centuries has been the trade mark of Newar craftsmen. The market place itself is located around some delightful temples and contributes to by small side streets. From early morning to late afternoon you will come across women and men that afternoon squatting round the central square selling fresh produce. Based upon the season you'll be able to find everything from oyster mushrooms, 10 distinct kinds of potatoes and sweet tomatoes to fresh peaches, piles of green poultry and an range of herbs. Wander on any of the side roads that spider out from the chowk and you can discover aromatic spices, the neighborhood basic rice, pungent dried fish, chillies and fresh handmade tofu, brass and copper wear, pans and pots, incense, temple offerings and an almost endless variety of house hold products. Asan Tole is a great place soak up the atmosphere of this bustling market place to practice your haggling skills and come home with some authentic Nepali kitchen wares or some amazingly fresh produce.

Muslim Chowk - If you want to feel the vibe of a local community, then just on the outskirts of Thamel, wander down this laneway that is home to some of the Muslim inhabitants of Kathmandu. There's activity in this road all hours of the day, from the halals butchers constantly hawking their wares, the juice and fruit whallas into the housewives hefting of washing their hips, substantial baskets down to the water spout that is local. It's almost because the Hindu Nepali civilization melts into the India vibe like steeping into a different zone. Muslim Chowk is also an wonderful place to be in the day. Entire families come outside; while the children play and the guys sit in the tea shops sipping hot tea, women sit on the door measures chatting. Here, you can even discover some restaurants that serve up plates of mouth-wateringly tender beef, piping chapattis and Parthia and healthy plates of spiced potatoes and chick peas! A cheap and fulfilling meal appreciated amongst a number of those cities friendliest people.

Bag Bazzaar - Looking for some style? This one's only for the women. Bag bazaar is one of Kathmandu shopping roads. Here you may find shop after shop displaying swaths of cloth that is colourful waiting to be turned into Saris or Kurta Surwal, two of Nepal worn clothing items by women. If you are on the market for an new outfit then pull up a cushion and head into one. The shop keeper will lavish you with all tea and smiles for you to choose from, while his assistant brings on an infinite parade of material. You will be measured by them and assess your taste When you've settled on the content. Then comes the best bit, haggling for price! This can take a little time and requires tea! Within one or two days you enjoy tea and gather your new garment, and will come back to the store. This is one of Nepal's most fun and different from how and shopping adventures you shop for clothing back home.

Tudhikhel - totter throughout the early morning streets and If you are the bird kind, then strap on your jogging shoes. Wind your way and the side roads leading to New Road. You will see out the road cleansers in drive, meat boys performing their morning deliveries of sides of buffalo and the newspaper lads hurling papers and weaving along balancing a stack of papers in their handle bars. Head to Tulikhel a large park in the centre of Kathmandu. This is the place where sailors are in the evenings for interacting exercise and yoga! Catch a mat and then join in on the yoga course that takes place. Learn how to stretch and contort your body at angles that you never though it could, and be surprised at the old lady sitting with her ankles around her ears next to you! The very best part of those sessions hosted by yogis from India, is that the belly laugh session at the end. Place yourself by putting your hands on your belly and joining the natives in chorus of laughter that wakes up!

Swayambunath - This popular tourist attraction has a lot more to provide than photos of monkeys and the sky line of Kathmandu. Come here early in the morning or late in the day to join the throng of Buddhists and Tibetans that make circumnavigations of this stupa. Follow in their footsteps as the conventional clad men and women make three circuits of the base of the stupa, as they go, turning the 10,000 mani wheels. Then climb up the staircase behind the stupa, head to the very top , down the staircase and to the jungle. There will hardly be a sole. Find yourself a location along one of the avenues that lead into the jungle and also sit peace and quiet. Wander down to the white stupa and Newar Buddhist monastery Whenever you're blissfully content, have a chat with the kid monks who'll be busy crossing the court yard. You and all this can be back in Thamel before another tourists have got out of bed, better as you where you never had to pay the entry fee!